Blog

By Blaise Malley Donald Trump’s election as President of the United States presented Democrats with an ideal counterpoint to some of their long-held beliefs. Many in Congress have seized the opportunity to combat Trump’s divisive and regressive policies. However, one area in which they have continued to fall short is...

To mark the 70th anniversary of the Nakba, The Jerusalem Fund & Palestine Center hosted Arab American Institute President, Dr. James Zogby for a talk entitled, “Political Zionism and the Root of Dispossession” on Tuesday, May 22nd. In his talk, Dr. Zogby cited his newly republished book, Palestinians: The Invisible...

The Anti-Semitism Awareness Act of 2018 (H.R.5924/S.2940), which was introduced in both the House and Senate on May 23, claims to address anti-Semitism on college and university campuses by including criticisms of Israel as examples of anti-Semitism. If passed, the bill would allow the Department of Education to suppress criticism of Israel...

The Anti-Semitism Awareness Act of 2018 has been introduced today in Congress. The bill includes an overly-broad, political definition of anti-Semitism, which includes criticism of the state of Israel. The bill should be opposed because it misappropriates a non-legally binding definition for the basis of legal prohibitions, does not combat...

Last weekend Iraqi voters went to the polls for the first time since Iraq declared victory over ISIL in December 2017. The coalition building over the next few months will prove critical to how Iraq moves past intense sectarian divisions and toward vital governance issues and public services. Since...

AAI President James Zogby gives important historical context to the Israel Embassy Move in two important pieces. In an opinion piece for CNN James Zogby reminds us, "The reason why US presidents, including Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, have used the act's waiver provision to defer its implementation...

Today, the Trump Administration celebrated the opening of its Israel embassy in Jerusalem, in a move widely condemned by the international community. This coincided with Israel killing dozens of Palestinian demonstrators in Gaza, and injuring hundreds, if not thousands. The contrast between the smiles at the embassy ceremony and the...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 14, 2018 CONTACT: Jennifer Salan jsalan@aaiusa.org / (202) 429-9210 Statement from Arab American Institute Deputy Director Omar Baddar on Moving the Israel Embassy to Jerusalem: Today, the Trump Administration has opened a US embassy in Jerusalem, cementing his decision to recognize the city as Israel’s capital. Trump’s...

photo via ABC Last night ABC’s Roseanne debuted Go Cubs, an episode which attempts to address xenophobia in America. While the titular character does have a positive change of heart during the show, the episode highlights the central position popular culture holds for white Americans in determining the ‘Americanness’ of...

The Arab American Institute Foundation (AAIF) is happy to announce the 2018 Helen Abbott Community Service Awards have been awarded to three phenomenal Arab American students: Christina Mitry, Jana Taoube, and Tahani Almujahid. For the past 19 years, AAIF has been awarding exceptional Arab American students for their leadership and...